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Our Mission

The Eyre Peninsula Community Foundation enables the people of the Eyre Peninsula to proactively contribute to the long term benefit of our region by building community capacity, addressing local needs through charitable grant-making and encouraging philanthropy.

Hospice Themed Fund

Update – December 2014

First overnighthome care service on Eyre Peninsulafor people approachingend of life

For the first time, a seven day a week, overnight home service is now available for people approaching or reaching the end of life on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.

A joint venture between the Eyre Peninsula Home Hospice Association and Calvary Community Care, the trial home-based service will be provided to patients registered with Port Lincoln Palliative Care who meet specific criteria living in the Lower Eyre Peninsula region.

The after-hours/overnight program is designed to provide much needed respite for the patient’s carer, while also maintaining the crucial care and support the patient needs in their own home environment.

The trial will be monitored and evaluated over a 12-month period, and if successful, it is hoped it can be rolled out more broadly across Eyre Peninsula subject to ongoing funding and suitably qualified staff being available.

“The trial is a much needed service in rural and regional areas and we are proud that Eyre Peninsula is now able to benefit from this service,” Eyre Peninsula Home Hospice Association Chair, Mrs Liz Penfold,said.

“It is no secret that people who are dying, if they are able, would choose to spend the remaining days of their lives in their own homes surrounded by their loved ones in an environment in which they feel safe and happy,” she said.

“The impact on the person’s carer(s) is intense, especially after hours when many ofthe support services available during the day are not accessible”

A Home Hospice Fund has been started to ensure that Eyre Peninsula’s palliative care patients receive after hours care from professional palliative care nurses, in their own homes during the terminal stage of their illness. The fund is to be administered by the Eyre Peninsula Community Foundation and $5,000 has been donated by Mike Leech to start it.

Mike’s wife Cynthia died soon after being diagnosed with cancer and Mike greatly appreciated the service provided by the Palliative Care nurses. However afterhours he found it was difficult to cope and realized that there was a need for in home assistance to be available during the night, on the weekends and holidays.

“Cynthia wanted to stay in her own home,” Mike said.

“The ambulance or the doctor had to be called out if I panicked and Cynthia could have ended up in hospital where she didn’t want to be. A nurse knows immediately what to do without fuss and trauma. I would have had more quiet, quality time at home with Cynthia if a palliative care nurse had been available 24/7,” Mike said.

“This support is needed to reduce the responsibilities and stress incurred by carers while endeavoring to keep their loved ones at home during the last few days of their lives. The funds raised will pay for additional hours and authorised expenses incurred for patients registered with Port Lincoln’s Palliative Care Service. It is hoped to build a corpus to ensure ongoing funding for the service,” Kamron Clark the Chairman, of the Eyre Peninsula Community Foundation, said.

The fund will work as an adjunct to the current Port Lincoln Palliative Care Service which services Eyre Peninsula. This service does not provide out of hours nursing support.

The cheque will be handed to Kamron by Mike Leech at Mike’s home, 7 Kurla Street Port Lincoln at 10.30 am on Tuesday 19th February.

Tax deductions are available to anyone wanting to donate to this fund and a volunteer register has been opened for people willing to assist with the fundraising activities initiated by the Home Hospice Association and the Eyre Peninsula Community Foundation. A charity second hand book, magazine, dvd, cd, record and toy shop is currently being planned.